Colorado
Residents getting desperate as large bear wreaks havoc in Colorado mountain town
It’s a big bear and it looks like it’s had a rough go. With one eye looking blinded and an ear possibly missing, it seems to have been in a tangle with something. But at its size, it’s hard to fathom what could do that kind of damage to it.
Sabrina Vasquez and her husband own a cabin in the Colorado mountain town of Idaho Springs.
“He’s gotta be over 500 pounds,” Vasquez told CBS News Colorado.
The bear has been caught on camera at their cabin on State Highway 103 numerous times. It is a serial breaking-and-entering specialist that has gotten in time after time.
“He ruined the carpet with food, feces, urine, so the carpet is ripped out,” Vasquez explained, showing the bare kitchen floor. “We’re trying to get some window companies to come up here and fix the windows.”
They have put a so-called “unwelcome mat” by the back door near the ruined bay window, which has screws facing up, so any animal stepping on it would be painfully discouraged from invading. Last year while they were out of state at a funeral, the bear busted in time and time again.
“He was in here for four days,” Vasquez said.
Their neighbor’s cabin next door was hit last week.
“We’re in cabin jail,” she explained. “Because we can’t leave. If we leave, he will know that we’re gone and he will break in.”
The bear, which is likely a male due to its size, has been a problem for several years.
“We’ve been hearing of this bear in Idaho Springs for a couple of years now and we have a record of it breaking into multiple cabins, probably over a dozen over that time period,” said Kara Van Hoose, spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “So we’ve seen that escalation in behavior with that bear.”
The origin of the problem may have been the actions of one of Vasquez’s neighbors.
“Oh, I’m sure because of the neighbor feeding it,” said Vasquez.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife did warn and then cite a neighbor for feeding large game animals a couple of years ago said Van Hoose. “When you’re doing it over a period of time, you can create an environment when bears, when deer, when elk, when mountain lions are coming back to an area again and again because they found food there.”
Now Vasquez says she’s going to the cabin less if her husband isn’t there. She worries about what could happen. “He’s huge, he’s massive. Biggest bear I’ve ever seen,” said Vasquez.
CPW has brought a trap to their property. A bear did get in last week and stepped on the trigger, but the door didn’t fully close and it backed out. But looking at video from one of the cameras on the property it’s clear that it wasn’t the problem bear anyway. It looked about half the size of the one causing problems.
“The bad bear is super smart,” Vasquez said.
CPW says a bear in this much trouble will have to be euthanized. Vasquez realizes it’s needed but does not relish the fact.
“No, because we’re pro-bear. I mean that’s why we live here, we love the wildlife,” she said.
“When we see that pattern of behavior of continually coming into human spaces, no regard for humans or any sort of fear of humans, in that case, that’s something that the bear can’t unlearn and (that) behavior that can’t be broken,” said Van Hoose.
Moving such an animal wouldn’t work either.
“If you move that bear to another location, it’s not going to break its prior behavior. It’s just going to break into houses in that new location. You’re not fixing the problem. You’re just placing that bear with problems in a new location to then break into houses,” said Van Hoose.
Vasquez and her husband believe with the bear being a danger and trapping not working, it’s time for CPW to take more action.
“You would think that they would have somebody out there that can hunt down the bear,” Vasquez said.
But CPW will continue to try its current methods, says Van Hoose.
“I think we’ll continue to try to trap the bear, if that’s possible, at this point and then rely on sightings and other evidence that we find nearby,” she said.
The animal is a threat, but so far has not broken into homes with people inside. That’s one line it appears not to have crossed.
Colorado
Gov. Polis welcomes federal agents’ help deporting undocumented criminals
DENVER, Colo. (KDVR) — Gov. Jared Polis said in his State of the State address that undocumented criminals in Colorado should be deported.
After his speech, FOX31 sat with the governor and asked how far Colorado would go to work with federal immigration agencies. The governor said local law enforcement agencies and state law enforcement agencies already work with ICE on a number of criminal investigations.
However, in 2024, a lawsuit determined Colorado law prevents deputies or officers from arresting or detaining anyone for federal civil immigration purposes, or for delaying release to help facilitate an ICE pickup. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice in 2024 after it was decided in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, and against the Teller County Sheriff’s Office.
ICE agents were alongside Aurora police recently when they arrested undocumented migrants at an apartment complex where gangs were said to be a problem. The governor acknowledged the presence and problems with undocumented criminals.
“Yeah. There’s been gang problems in Denver and Aurora for decades. We have gangs like the Bloods and Crips. Mexican gangs and now the risk of Venezuelan gangs,” Polis said.
FOX31 asked Polis if he would support an increased use of local and state law enforcement agencies for immigration-related cases.
“We make no distinction in apprehending criminals. If they are undocumented, ultimately the federal government would detain and deport that person,” Polis said.
FOX31 also asked the governor if he was worried about the threats the Trump Administration has made about starting “Operation Aurora” in Colorado.
“We don’t know what Operation Aurora is or would be. But the general principles I’ve laid out are that we appreciate and welcome more help from the federal government to go after criminals,” Polis said.
Operation Aurora was announced by President-elect Trump at a rally held in October in Aurora. The plan would remove migrants who entered the country illegally and may be involved in gangs through invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, to “target and dismantle every migrant criminal network operating on American soil.”
“We will send elite squads of ICE, Border Patrol and federal law enforcement officers to hunt down, arrest and deport every last illegal alien gang member until there is not a single one left in this country,” Trump said at the October rally.
The governor also said he is hoping the incoming Trump administration and lawmakers create pathways for citizenship for Dreamers and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, which was designed to prevent deportation of foreign children brought into the country not of their own will, but illegally.
Trump has previously opposed DACA and tried to end the program during his first term in office. But in December he said that he thinks the so-called “Dreamers” should be allowed to stay. On “Meet the Press,” Trump said many DACA recipients become successful and have a positive economic impact.
Colorado
Colorado firefighters deploy to battle large wildfires in southern California
Three Castle Rock Fire Department members deployed to southern California on Wednesday to support firefighters battling massive wildfires around Los Angeles.
At least five fires have destroyed over 45 square miles and left five people dead in Los Angeles. High winds caused the wildfires to quickly spread, destroying more than 1,300 structures.
As of Thursday morning the two largest fires, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, remain completely uncontained. Weary firefighters continue to battle against erratic winds, quickly spreading flames, and fire hydrants running dry in some areas due to extreme demand.
Castle Rock said they were requested through the federal ordering system and left for California Wednesday afternoon in Brush Truck 155. Brush trucks, also known as wildland fire engines, are specifically designed to fight wildfires with better maneuverability and stability than other fire trucks.
After the crew members arrive, they will receive assignments to specific locations. Authorities said they expect the team to be deployed there for the next two weeks.
Colorado
Gray wolf restoration continues to cause tension in Colorado
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